Antarctic Katabatic Wind Measurements from 1984 Balloon Flights

AU_AADC collected raw meteorological data during a 1984 study of katabatic winds along the IAGP traverse route near Casey station. The dataset includes measurements of air pressure, temperature, and humidity from instrumented balloon flights. Physical records are archived at the Australian Antarctic Division.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal patterns of air pressure, temperature, and humidity to characterize katabatic wind events.
• Model the relationship between temperature gradients and wind intensity along the IAGP traverse route.
• Validate modern climate models by comparing simulated Antarctic boundary layer data with these historical balloon flight measurements.

Strengths

• Contains direct in-situ measurements of key atmospheric variables (pressure, temperature, humidity) from a specific 1984 field campaign.
• Data originates from a recognized polar research organization (AU_AADC) and is physically archived.

Limitations

• The exact row count, column details, and file formats are unknown, complicating direct analysis.
• Data is from a single year (1984) and a specific geographic transect, limiting temporal and spatial generalizability.
• Sample data is unavailable, preventing assessment of data structure and quality prior to acquisition.

Provenance

Source

Australian Antarctic Division (AU_AADC)

Collection Method

Data collected from instrumented balloon flights during a field study.

Time Range

1984

Freshness

null

Geography

Along the IAGP traverse route out of Casey station, Antarctica.